On Texas’s Independence Day, Republican David Simpson filed a sweeping bill (HB 2165) that would end marijuana prohibition in Texas. Simpson’s bill aims to delete any mention of marijuana from state law, completely deregulate and decriminalize it and treat it as any other vegetable.

A release from Simpson’s office called the proposal a first in the nation. The statement read:

“I am proposing that this plant [marijuana] be regulated like tomatoes, jalapeños or coffee.

On March 10, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) was among a bipartisan group of senators that introduced a historic bill that would, for the first time, force the federal government to acknowledge that marijuana has some medical value. Booker, who has become one of the leading voices for criminal justice and drug policy reform in the US Senate, is also pushing theREDEEM Act, a bill that would, among other changes, allow nonviolent drug offenders to more easily seal their records and apply for welfare programs.

I sat down with Booker on the same day he introduced the medical marijuana bill to discuss some of his broader thoughts about the criminal justice system — and why he sees reform in this area as being as urgent as the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

President Barack Obama said he is starting to see liberals and conservatives recognizing that current marijuana laws don’t make sense, and how costly it is to incarcerate individuals for non-violent drug offenses.

In an interview with Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith, President Obama seemed to initially dismiss the topic of marijuana legalization, telling Smith he understands interest in the drug before arguing that the issue “shouldn’t be young people’s biggest priority.”

Young people should care about “climate change, the economy, jobs, war and peace,” Obama said. Maybe at the bottom of that list, he added, “you should be thinking about marijuana.”

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of people busted in Connecticut for marijuana possession now have the right to get their convictions erased after the state Supreme Court ruled Monday that the violation had been downgraded to the same legal level as a parking ticket.

The 7-0 ruling came in the case of former Manchester and Bolton resident Nicholas Menditto, who had asked for his convictions to be overturned after the Legislature decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot in 2011.

"It's a topic multiple states will have to be facing," said Aaron Romano, Menditto's attorney. "Because marijuana is being decriminalized across the United States, this issue needs to be addressed."

 Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a longtime champion of sensible marijuana law reform. As a state legislator in Oregon, he voted to decriminalize personal amounts of marijuana all the way back in 1973. He has been at the forefront of cannabis law reform ever since, even when it wasn’t near as politically popular as it is today. He was very instrumental in the fight to legalize marijuana, even debating the merits of Measure 91 at the Salem City Club against Oregon’s most prominent prohibitionist.

Support for medical marijuana was highest amongst people aged 55 and over: 84 per cent agreed it should be legal.

Younger respondents were slightly less supportive, with 72 per cent aged 18-34 in favour.

Both major parties have offered conditional support for medical marijuana.

The Coalition Government is planning medicinal cannabis trials for epileptic children, terminally ill adults and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley has accused the Government of moving too slowly, saying the trials are unnecessary because the benefits have been proven.

Bristol West MP Stephen Williams says it's his personal wish to give cannabis the same legal status as alcohol and tobacco.

He argues that if you look at the hierarchy of harm caused by substances, you could not say cannabis was more harmful than alcohol.

"It terms of the damage alcohol does, in terms of domestic violence and crime, its far more harmful than cannabis," he says.

On whether this could lead to an increased culture of drug use, comparable to alcohol, he said that the main problem behind binge drinking was a pricing issue, with supermarkets able to sell alcohol too cheaply.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office today (March 13) announced that the marijuana legalization amendment has been certified.

Below is the announcement from Attorney General Mike DeWine's office.

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office today certified the petition for the proposed Marijuana Legalization Amendment to the Ohio Constitution.

On March 3rd, the Attorney General’s Office received a written petition to amend the Ohio Constitution, entitled “Marijuana Legalization Amendment,” from the group Responsible Ohio.  The submission was certified today as containing both the necessary 1,000 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters and a “fair and truthful” summary of the proposed amendment.

ROSEAU, Dominica, (CMC) – Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says he is not completely sold on the idea of decriminalising small amounts of marijuana as regional countries debate the issue.

Speaking on the state-owned DBS radio, Skerrit asked what would be done with the “excess’ if the authorities agree to enact legislation allowing for the use of small quantities of the illegal drug.

“What do you do with the excess, and you don’t want to be encouraging the trafficking of this drug to other countries and what would be your relationship with the rest of the world?”

Cannabis or marijuana possession and sale for recreational use in Nevada could be legalized in November next year as the legislature is expected to let voters decide whether to regulate it like alcohol. Nevada already has decriminalized possession of the substance for people 21 and older and it is legalized for medical use in the state, but possession of marijuana is still a misdemeanor and the sale of it is still a felony. The first offense of possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana warrants a $600 fine, and subsequent offenses go up to $5,000 or even jail terms.